David Sepulveda Photo
The Whalley building.
Westville neighbors and city development officials got their wish: A self-storage business will not move any time soon to the neighborhood gateway at Fitch Street and Whalley Avenue.
At least not the self-storage business that Stephen Zagoren’s company planned to put there.
Zagoren’s Advantage Development Group had a contract to purchase the crumbling two-building 3.6‑acre property along the West River at 781 Whalley and 50 Fitch. The group planned to upgrade the buildings, put in 570 self-storage units, and add other uses as well. The former Aerial Map factory and then the Community Action Agency formerly inhabited the space. (The Fitch property still has tenants.)
Neighbors last week expressed concerns about the project at a civil meeting with Zagoren. City development officials have been pushing for housing or other more active uses rather than storage businesses at various industrial properties around town.
Zagoren told the Independent Monday that the Whalley-Fitch deal is now off.
He said his company was in the “due diligence” phase of completing a purchase from the current owner, Bapaz Whalley LLC (whose agent and lead member listed in state records lives in Great Neck, N.Y.) It had expected to spend $600,000 on environmental remediation on top of investing $12 million in the renovation, Zagoren said.
Then last week it did a “phase three” environmental study, which revealed previously undetected hazardous material in the roof and ceilings of the Whalley building. That was going to raise the clean-up cost considerably, Zagoren said.
“It was kind of the last straw with us. We said, ‘Look if he’ll help us, we’ll still do the project. If he won’t, we won’t do anything.’”
His company also learned two weeks ago about mold problems in the Fitch Street building — reported here — that were leading tenants to speak of leaving. The company didn’t know about that, either, Zagoren said.
Finally, his company sent the owner a letter declaring that it is walking away from the deal.
“It’s too bad. I really liked this site,” Zagoren said. He also praised neighbors for the spirit in which they worked with him.
He pegged his company’s loss in the “six figures” from the work spent on the deal.
The question now is: What should happen at the complex?
Neighbors meeting Monday night at Lyric Hall to discuss the future of Whalley and Fitch.
Neighbors have suggested a shopping or other commercial use that fits more with the active village atmosphere in the commercial district. So far, the market has not drawn an economically feasible proposal along those lines. The environmental clean-up increases the potential cost.
Westville neighbors, meeting on Monday night, threw out potential ideas like a youth exercise gym business, a community commercial kitchen (with cooking classes), an art school, an open-air market with crafts, and a sustainable building generating its own power.
Mayor Toni Harp, speaking on WNHH radio’s “Mayor Monday” program, suggested that the city would like to see some “market-level housing and some retail” at the site despite the potential economic challenges. “Our aspirations are higher,” Harp said. Click here to listen to that episode; the discussion about the Westville property begins at 40:50, including the broader of issue of when it makes sense to let the market speak in seeking to get empty buildings on the tax rolls versus seeking “higher best uses.”
David Sepulveda contributed reporting.